Emma Zaratian

The daily skincare routine. When you’re rushing from here to there, juggling life’s demands and falling into bed exhausted at night, it’s easy to shrug it off as a theoretically smart but non-essential luxury. After all, you did remember to brush your teeth. But we’re here to caution you from cutting too many corners. Someone in the skincare industry once quipped that you might have a handbag for 10 years, but you’ll always have your face. While we love handbags to no end, it’s a wise adage that underscores the worth of any skincare investment you can afford. Minutes a day now can add years to your skin’s health down the road.

So what’s it take? To get a professional opinion on how to really nail your daily skincare routine, we consulted with one of the industry’s top makeup artists and skin gurus, Trish McEvoy. Not only is Trish the founder of her own beauty line, she and her dermatologist husband, Ronald Sherman, opened The Dr. Ronald Sherman/Trish McEvoy Skin Care Center in New York together in 1978—and have pioneered a vast amount of medi-spa cosmeceutical science since then.

Trish talks about skin care in terms of ‘fitness’. Skin fitness, like that workout routine you may or may not have time for, simply translates into an effective daily regimen. But instead of cardio and weights, it’s a synergistic five-step routine anyone at any age can adopt for healthier, more radiant skin. Ahead, Trish talks us through the five essential steps of daily skin care, plus answers a few lingering questions we had on the topic.

In an age of mass automation, there’s still something about handworked artifacts that machine-made products will never attain. It’s the attention to detail, the human interaction that gives an extra tug to a loose piece of thread or discerns the grain of leather for an almost seamless cut. And while labels like “artisan” and “handcrafted” are touted often to sell products, the desire for individualized, one-of-a-kind pieces, thoughtfully created with tactile expertise, is not to be played down. Some might argue it is the thinking behind the process, rather than the final product, that is so valuable. And that level of human concentration often comes at a hefty price tag.

With Welden, a small, relatively new handbag company based in Connecticut, the human craftsmanship is as much the story as its signature hexagonal weave. Its bags are created using a time-honored technique originating from a family leather-goods factory now based in China, where the pieces are still made by skilled artisans and designers. Yet despite the complexity and hands-on involvement, Welden bags are offered at a surprisingly approachable price. The whole range is available between $250 and $595—nothing to scoff at, but certainly well below the norm for a luxury handbag.

The mastermind behind the brand is Sandy Friesen, who started out in the handbag industry two decades ago in New York. She met Gary and Cissy Chui, the owners of the leather factory, about 10 years ago and the three began cultivating a business partnership that would eventually culminate in Welden. In 2016, a year after Welden launched, fellow handbag-industry veteran Cori Adams met Sandy through her daughter’s ballet class and joined as VP of sales and marketing. Spanning an ocean and two continents, the foursome essentially runs every aspect of the brand, underscoring how nimble and lean an operation Welden is.

Having stumbled upon the company’s unusually patterned bags, we recently sought out Sandy and Cori to find out more about Welden, its origins and its accessible pricing. Ahead, our interview with the women behind the brand.

Back in the day of pharaohs, it’s said that Egyptians would crane their heads into amethyst geodes to ward off headaches and evil spirits. Today, in a busy high-tech age dedicated to en-masse multitasking, we wear them for their earthy, natural beauty—and don’t mind if mystical healing properties work their wooey magic on the side. Baubles to boost our confidence? Yes, please. Earrings to attract a doting paramour? Needed them 10 Tinder dates ago. Bracelets to clear the negative clutter from our heads? We thought we were the only ones!

If eyes are windows to the soul, then sunglasses are the window dressing. Not that your eyes aren’t gorgeous on their own, but squinting in the sun has never been anyone’s best look. And the ladies who fashion know this well.

Our street-style photographer at-large, Crystal Nicodemus, recently spent time on the sidewalks of Sydney, snapping shots of the Who’s Who at Australian Fashion Week. While everyone was rocking impressive looks in their own way, some clear patterns began to emerge in the sunnies department. Here are four shapes gearing up to be summer’s hottest bets—and the unexpected ways in which to wear them.

When it comes to feel-good parades, it’s hard to beat a present-day Pride procession. From Seattle to Sydney to Stockholm, they’re kaleidoscopic explosions of love, color, glitter and often expertly applied makeup. They’re everything joyful and communal. But they weren’t always lighthearted celebrations of sexual diversity—and as we honor June as LGBTQ Pride month, we feel it’s important to recognize the adversity as well as the positivity.

Beyond the rainbows, floats and festive costumes exists the continuing struggle for tolerance and equal rights for the LGBTQ community—one that has been hallmarked by many events throughout history, but most notably in the U.S. by the Stonewall riots of June 1969 in Greenwich Village in New York City. The riots, precipitated by police raids gone violently awry, were one of the first organized attempts to massively protest the oppression of LGBTQ people. The following year, major cities across the country—from New York to L.A.—commemorated Stonewall with political marches in June, and Pride month was essentially born. Over the decades, Pride marches have evolved into festive parades with floats and cheery regalia, especially in large, accepting cities, but it’s critical to remain mindful of the human-rights movement that has spurred these festivals.

This year we’re spotlighting five inspirational people who’ve served as grand marshals in past parades. As the leader of a parade, the role of grand marshal is as honorable as it sounds. In fact, it’s the highest honor the LGBTQ community can bestow upon an individual—and those chosen are often nominated for their exceptional achievements in the fight for human rights.

Just the mention of floral decor will often bring our dear grannies to mind—or at least their living rooms, trimmed with pansy wallpaper borders and rose-clad tea sets. But then someone young and modern freshens up our image of florals and our passion for pansies is rekindled. This is probably what the buyers at Anthropologie, the retail chain that forever encapsulates the cool, vintage edge of granny chic, thought of artist Bridgette Thornton when they spied her botanical prints on their sales floor.

How the prints got there is a long, wending tale, but the gist is a third-party art distributor picked up the 26-year-old artist’s work and arranged the sale of several of her illustrations in Anthro stores. Fortunately, the artwork piqued the artist collaboration team’s interest—and a capsule housewares collection was launched. It was everything Bridgette had worked toward since first visiting an Anthropologie store as a teenager. An avid believer in vision boards, she might even tell you she “manifested” the collection. And now that Nordstrom carries a curated assortment of Anthropologie Home, you can find and buy the whimsical, colorful pieces—from throw pillows and quilts to dishware and phone cases—on our site.

We recently caught up with the Bay Area native to discuss inspiration and career motivation. Oh, and picnic menus—seeing as the collection’s melamine dishes literally deliver summer parties on a platter. (Bridgette and her boyfriend even created a delightful dining-al-fresco video for our viewing pleasure!)

Latte, Americano, cold brew, decaf drip—any way you sip it, your coffee has a story. Where the coffee cherries were grown (yep, beans are in fact cherry stones), the person who picked and dried them, and the journey they took to eventually make it into your cup.

Quaff on this: per the World Bank, 500 million people on this planet depend on the coffee industry for their livelihood—and of that number, 25 million are coffee farmers who generally live in substandard conditions, receiving only pennies on the dollar for their contribution to our caffeine fix. More than half of those workers are women, but these same women are usually underrepresented socially, economically and politically in their communities. Without the work of these tenacious ladies, family incomes would drastically decrease, farm production would come to a standstill, communities would suffer untold costs—and coffee offerings would be seriously slim.

So we’re partnering with the nonprofit International Women in Coffee Alliance (IWCA) to combat gender inequality in the coffee supply chain by investing in women-led cooperatives and farms. Starting May 1, all of our Ebar coffee shops will carry three specialty blends grown by women in places like El Salvador, Colombia and Burundi. All blends are medium roast and have won quality awards for their flavor.

We recently sat down with several IWCA members at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle. Here’s what these women entrepreneurs had to say about their experiences working in the coffee industry, specifically with IWCA, and how the program has helped empower the women and communities around them.

Once again, Nordstrom is the official Red Carpet sponsor and we’ll be covering the star-studded procession via Facebook Live with the help of our friends at Vogue magazine. In the meantime, peruse the nominees, get your viewing party ready, cast your ballot and tune in on June 10 to watch the final selections at Radio City Music Hall!

There are hundreds of purveyors of denim out there, but only one can call itself Levi’s. The brand’s founder, Levi Strauss, patented blue jeans back in the 1870s for prospectors and settlers—men who needed durable workwear pants with give, thanks to strategically placed rivets. In 1890, his company released the 501®—and, well, the rest is history.

Today, almost all of us have a pair (or 10) of Levi’s hanging in our closet. Some so beat up we can’t leave the house in them—but because of that legendary killer fit, we can’t bear to throw them out. Which is why we’re excited to announce our one-of-a-kind partnership with Levi Strauss & Co. in our new Men’s Store NYC: the Levi’s Tailor Shop. The crafty crew will repair that prized pair in no time. They’ll also alter or customize your other denim darlings, whether they need a new hemline or a custom-order chain-stitched embroidered eagle. (And, yes—even your non-Levi jeans are welcome. Bring in anything denim and they’ll work their magic!)

The 72nd Annual Tony Awards® are already in the works and, for the fourth year in a row, Nordstrom is the official Red Carpet sponsor—which means we’ll be bringing you one-of-a-kind live coverage of the star-studded procession on June 10 via Facebook. (Go ahead and enter it in your Reminders app now.)

While the nominations and presenter are still a secret (announcements will be made May 1), we know a rockin’ Tony party starts with plenty of prep. That’s why we’re re-sharing our most crowd-pleasing dip and sip recipes this side of Broadway. So write out your menu, whip up your guest list and keep an eye out for more hot Tony updates. (And if you happen to hit Broadway for a show, take a moment to tour our brand-new Men’s Store NYC, located on the corner of Broadway and West 57th Street. It’s our first full-line men’s store—right in Midtown Manhattan.)